Camera with means for coordinating aperture and focus adjustments

Abstract

A camera is provided that has an automatic focus detector and a manually operable focus adjustment device, in which the focus adjustment device can be set at a predetermined position or range falling outside of an ordinary focus adjusting range. At the same time a coordinating device is provided which functions to secure an appropriate depth of field (or a hyper focal range) by coordinating the focus adjustment and the exposure aperture adjustment when the focus adjustment device is set at the predetermined position or range. Thus even in a case when the focus detector can not function effectively, practically satisfactory photographing can be done by the action of the coordinating device. In a preferred example of the present invention the focusing condition of a photo-taking lens system is automatically adjusted according to an exposure aperture value (i.e. f-stop value) by the action of the coordinating device in a condition in which the focus adjustment device is set at the predetermined position. In another preferred example of the present invention, the size of the exposure aperture is automatically limited to a predetermined aperture size or smaller according to the set position of the lens system by the action of the coordinating device in a condition in which the focus adjustable device is set at a predetermined position or range.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A camera comprising: (A) a photo-taking lens system adjustable along an optical axis so as to form an image of an object on a predetermined film plane;   (B) focus adjusting means operatively coupled to said lens system to adjust the lens system along the optical axis, said focus adjusting means having a normal adjusting range and at least one predetermined position beyond the normal adjusting range and being shiftable between the range and the position;   (C) a diaphragm device for regulating an exposure aperture aligned with said lens system; and   (D) coordinating means for coordinating the focus adjustment of the lens system and the exposure aperture adjustment of the diaphragm device according to a predetermined functional relationship to secure an appropriate depth of field, said coordinating means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and operating so as to coordinate the focus and exposure adjustments only when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       2. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said coordinating means includes means for adjusting the position of said photo-taking lens system in correspondence to the adjusted size of said exposure aperture according to said predetermined functional relationship. 
     
     
       3. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said coordinating means includes means for limiting the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by said diaphragm device to a predetermined size in correspondence to the set position of said photo-taking lens system according to said predetermined functional relationship. 
     
     
       4. A camera according to claim 1, further comprising: an automatic focus detecting device for detecting the focusing condition of said photo-taking lens system to the object, and   de-activating means electrically coupled to said detecting device for de-activating the detecting device, said de-activating means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and being operated so as to de-activate the detecting device when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       5. A camera comprising: (A) a photo-taking lens system adjustable along an optical axis so as to form an image of an object on a predetermined film plane;   (B) focus adjusting means operatively coupled to said lens system to adjust the lens system along the optical axis, said focus adjusting means having a normal adjusting range and at least one predetermined position beyond the normal adjusting range and being shiftable between the range and the position;   (C) a diaphragm device for regulating an exposure aperture aligned with said lens system; and   (D) setting means for resetting said lens system to a hyper focal distance position in relation to the adjusted size of the exposure aperture adjusted by said diaphragm device, said setting means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and operating so as to reset the lens system to said hyper focal distance position in relation to the adjusted exposure aperture size only when said focus adjusting means has been set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       6. A camera according to claim 5, wherein said setting means includes a first member movable to a position corresponding to the adjusted exposure aperture size adjusted by said diaphragm device and a second member movable to a position representing the hyper focal distance position of said lens system in relation to said adjusted exposure aperture size, according to the position of said first member; thereby the lens system is reset to the hyper focal distance position in relation to the adjusted exposure aperture size through said second member.   
     
     
       7. A camera according to claim 5, further comprising: an automatic focus detecting device for detecting the focusing condition of said photo-taking lens system to the object, and   de-activating means electrically coupled to said detecting device for de-activating the detecting device, said de-activating means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and being operated so as to de-activate the detecting device when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       8. A camera comprising: (A) a photo-taking lens system adjustable along an optical axis so as to form an image of an object on a predetermined film plane;   (B) focus adjusting means operatively coupled to said lens system to adjust the lens system along the optical axis, said adjusting means having a normal adjusting range and at least one predetermined position beyond the normal adjusting range and being shiftable between the range and the position;   (C) a diaphragm device for regulating an exposure aperture aligned with said lens system; and   (D) limiting means for limiting the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by said diaphragm device to such a predetermined size as to secure an appropriate hyper focal range in relation to the set position of said lens system, said limiting means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means so as to limit the exposure aperture size to said predetermined size only when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       9. A camera according to claim 8, wherein said limiting means includes a movable member engageable with said phototaking lens system and movable to a position representing said predetermined exposure aperture size according to the set position of the lens system, to as to limit the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by said diaphragm means to said predetermined size. 
     
     
       10. A camera according to claim 9, further comprising; an automatic focus detecting device for detecting the focusing condition of said photo-taking lens system to the object, and   de-activating means electrically coupled to said detecting device for de-activating the detecting device, said de-activating means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and being operated so as to de-activate the detecting device when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       11. A camera comprising: (A) a photo-taking lens system adjustable along an optical axis so as to form an image of an object on a predetermined film plane;   (B) focus adjusting means operatively coupled to said lens system to adjust the lens system along the optical axis;   (C) a diaphragm device for regulating an exposure aperture aligned with said lens system;   (D) limiting means for limiting the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by said diaphragm device to such a predetermined size as to secure an appropriate hyper focal range in relation to the set position of said lens system, wherein said limiting means includes a movable member engageable with said photo-taking lens system and movable to a position representing said predetermined exposure aperture size according to the set position of the lens system;   thereby the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by the diaphragm device is limited to said predetermined size in relation to the set position of the lens system through said movable member;   wherein said focus adjusting means has a normal adjusting range and at least one predetermined position beyond the normal adjusting range and is shiftable between the range and the position; and wherein said movable member is operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and operates so as to limit the exposure aperture size to said predetermined size only when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       12. A camera according to claim 11 further comprising: an automatic focus detecting device for detecting the focusing condition of said photo-taking lens system to the object, and   de-activating means electrically coupled to said detecting device for de-activating the detecting device, said de-activating means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and being operated so as to de-activate the detecting device when said focus adjusting means is set to said predetermined position.   
     
     
       13. A camera comprising: (A) a photo-taking lens system adjustable along an optical axis so as to form an image of an object on a predetermined film plane;   (B) focus adjusting means operatively coupled to said lens system to adjust the lens system along the optical axis, said adjusting means having a normal adjusting range and a secondary adjusting range beyond the normal adjusting range and being shiftable between the ranges;   (C) a diaphragm device for regulating an exposure aperture aligned with said lens system; and   (D) limiting means for limiting the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by said diaphragm device to such predetermined sizes as to secure appropriate hyper focal ranges in relation to the set positions of said lens system, said limiting means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means so as to limit the exposure aperture size to said predtermined sizes only when said focus adjusting means is set within said secondary adjusting range.   
     
     
       14. A camera according to claim 13, wherein said limiting means includes a movable member engageable with said phototaking lens system and movable to positions representing said predetermined exposure aperture sizes according to the set positions of the lens system so as to limit the exposure aperture size to be adjusted by said diaphragm means to said predetermined sizes. 
     
     
       15. A camera according to claim 14, further comprising: an automatic focus detecting device for detecting the focusing condition of said photo-taking lens system to the object; and   de-activating means electrically coupled to said detecting device for de-activating the detecting device, said de-activating means being operatively associated with said focus adjusting means and being operated so as to de-activate the detecting device when said focus adjusting means is shifted to said secondary range.